Jessica
Simon: I'm pretty new to slams - I've
only been involved for about a year. My friends Dan and Lizi performed my
piece The Talleys at the first NB&S in March of last year. I was
excited to revisit my participant piece from the O'Neill Puppetry Conference.

M:
What cities have you performed in Puppet Slams in?JS: I’ve performed at slams in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis,
and Austin. I got a bruise on my head from a flying piece of chocolate at
the National Slam in Atlanta...

M:
What lead you to become a Slam curator? What would you say is distinctive about
Nasty Brutish and Short?JS: I sort of inherited my spot with
Nasty, Brutish & Short. Seth Bockley and Julia Miller curated the
first one and before the second one in the fall Julia asked if I'd like to help
out because Seth had a lot of other projects on his plate. One thing that
I've been particularly interested in trying to make happen at each one is
having an out of town guest artist. We've hosted artists from
Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and I'm super excited that we have not one, but
three visiting artists from Kansas City and Brooklyn for our upcoming show
March 5th! I'm grateful to the Puppet Slam Network for helping us
make that happen.

M:
Where would you say you are in a Puppet Slam Circuit?JS: I know there are a couple that
happen in Minneapolis, but I don't think that constitutes a circuit...

Why do you think Puppet Slams are important? What gap are they filling that is
not filled by other forms of puppetry? Who cares?JS:
I think slams are a great way to introduce audiences to many different
styles of puppetry and get them to realize that it's not just kid stuff.
Also, it helps audiences develop their palate. If there is a short piece
that sucks, maybe they'll learn that the piece itself was bad, not that all
puppetry is bad. Does that makes sense?

M: Puppets don’t suck… People do!

JS: Also, I think Beau said this before, it is a good
kick in the pants for artists. Having a deadline forces you to work on
that idea you've been kicking around in your head. M: Do you have any upcoming slams you
plan on performing at or organizing?JS:
Our next cabaret is March 5th!

M: Well stay tuned to our calendar to find out more
details (sign up here)! . . .Jessica, what actually motivates you to create a puppet slam
piece?JS:
I have a little notebook where I jot down ideas and that's where a lot
of those ideas die.... having that slam deadline is an excuse try some of them
out.

M:
So sad when ideas die… Now who would you
say on the circuit is killer?JS: I'm inspired by (and a bit
jealous of) Connor Hopkins and Carolin Reck down in Austin [hosts of Austin Puppet Incident]. Not only
are they creating awesome long-form work, but they've created a great little
puppetry community that works together creating short pieces for their
slams. From what I understand they host regular open shop nights and
anyone who wants to can come in try something out. I'd love to have a
regular workshop time for people to collaborate. There is somewhat of a
community here in Chicago, and it's growing [with Puppet Meltdown], but I'd love to mix it up even more and have a
dedicated time and place for people to come together.

M:
What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams? And where
can people reach you if they want to ask you to perform?

JS:The Talleys
is a 2 person tabletop piece that follows the changes in the lives of a couple
and Mustachioed Pistachio is about a
nut that has his mustache stolen. I can be reached at jess.simon@gmail.com.M:
Where do you want to see the Puppet Slam Network in the Future?JS: Like I said before, I'm grateful
to the Slam Network for providing opportunities for artists travel, myself
included. I'd love to see that continue and expand. M:
What advice do you have for up-and-coming slam performers?JS: Try and see a lot of stuff, talk
to people after shows, ask veterans to do something with you.

WHEN: Friday, April 20 @ 8pm AND MAYBE, Saturday April 21st @ 10pm (if interest is strong enough for two nights in a row, great..otherwise, just the Friday night)

THEME: Heroes & Villians

FOR LIVE ACT SUBMISSIONS: Please email your proposed puppet show in a short 2-3 sentence synopsis. It can be a show you've already done or a new piece that you have yet to work on. (Example: I want to perform a piece about a lobster who saves his best friend, Clammy, from a dark, watery death. Hero!) If we are not already familiar with your work, please send pictures of your past work or a website/youtube link. Your past work does not have to be puppets; it can be paintings or collage or sculpture, something to show what you can do. All shows must be 2 - 8 minutes in length and must relate to the theme: Heroes and Villians. Tell me which night you can/want to perform! Or both!

Send all submissions to: Katie@beadylittleeyes.com and PLEASE specify which night you are available or if you are interested in both nights! You do NOT have to have two different shows to perform on both nights.

Please submit your shows by April 1st to be considered.

If you travel from outside of Portland, let's talk about a travel stipend!

Next in our series for the sharing of developing work. Come share a story or a drink. It's entirely free!

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 7:30 PM

20 Jay Street, Room 214, DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY

Committed presenters are:

ERIN BELL, musician/performer/philosopher

Do Right Belly Fire, Do Right Monkey Brain

An exploration of desire and love -- based on texts by Deleuze and Guattari, P. Chodron, and various neuroscientists and psychoanalysts, including Golden Retriever love affairs, babies, and a cockroach opera.

ALEX GOODMAN AND DYLAN GALLOWS, filmmakers

Extracts from the film Paradise Ends Here, and ode to totemistic creatures who trek to the beach and two friends that tramp with them. As they trek the desolate winter landscape their cameras capture images of the shadows of last summer and the sounds of the spirit of the cyclone ripping through tarps. Coney Island, before we even met you held me captive.

JOHN FARRELL, actor

Scenes from a developing one-man show about the life and work of Walt Whitman.

JANA ZELLER, SPYBIRD THEATER, puppeteer

Madame Schnuckenack - This puppet piece in progress is the story of an elegant woman--a rod puppet--who waits by the sea side for the return of her sailor son. She is haunted by shadows of his life. She has to put up with two obnoxious hand puppets who inhabit the same pier where she camps out. The excerpt is a scene out of the life of the two hand puppets, Kasper and Schatzie.

VP: I have performed at a couple of slams and
puppet cabarets, beginning as a human puppet host back in 2006. I have
performed at Black Cherry slams in Baltimore and at the Puppet Pandemicwhen it came to the Puppet Co. in Glen Echo. I am
more so involved in the curation of the Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet
Theater now, trying to build the puppet community (performers and audience)
here.

M:
Where did you get the idea to host Puppet Slamwich?

Marsian talked me into it.

M: Flattery will get you everywhere with
me, but seriously..

VP: No - Seriously. We have a great little
puppet theater in Baltimore. There were some folks organizing cabarets and
events featuring puppetry for a while in Baltimore - including Maestro
Sensational, a kind of puppet variety show that was a big hit. After some of the artists left town, the shows
were no longer happening and people really seemed to miss these puppet
performance events, since there was really nothing quite like it in
Baltimore. I was making performances myself that were related to
puppetry and had friends in the art community that were equally interested in
puppetry.

M: You had mentioned that you traveled a
lot and saw the puppet scenes in other cities…

VP: ..like New York, but I had a much smaller
community to draw on in Baltimore, so organizing regular shows was tough.
Over the years, I had built relationships with puppeteers along the
East Coast through my involvement with Black Cherry, The Puppet Company,
Nanaprojects, Great Small Works and Bread and Puppet. Occasionally, a couple of
out-of-towners would come through Baltimore - like RPM Puppet Conspiracy from VT and Austin, and we started to build
shows around these touring performers.

M: It seemed like when we met at the O’Neill
Puppetry Conference in 2010, you were
starting to go in a new direction with puppetry..

VP: We spoke about the scene in Baltimore. You
encouraged us to apply [for a Slam Grant] - which we did. And so, by committing
to a certain number of dates each year, we really needed to get on the ball
with recruiting performers. The first few were tough, since our pool was small.
But with time, more and more people who may not even have worked in 'puppetry'
before started making work for the slams, inspired by the work they saw. More
and more people have gotten wind of the slams, and have approached us about
performing here, which is GREAT!

M: What other Puppet Slam Artists are you inspired by?

VP: RPM
Puppet Conspiracy from VT and TX is great. Their shows are usually a little
bit longer than the average slam performance. They just have a great sense of
timing. Their shows tackle serious topics but are always a riot.

KathyFahey is a lovely
performer, too. So different. She creates very short pieces - crankies with
paper cut shadows that she unscrolls as she sings.

Porch
Puppets (C. Ryan Patterson,
Rachel Valsing and Mary Pulcinella) just started here in Baltimore. They are
artists and were regulars at our slams and were really inspired by the work
they saw and started to make shows. Their most recent overhead projector shadow
show was based on the children's story Millions of Cats. The puppets
were gorgeous, and the story sweet and funny.

M:
What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams?VP: I have a piece called Professor Bluegill and His Harbor School of Fish. I perform
dressed in a giant fish head and suit, as Professor Bluegill, and read a
cautionary tale to my pupils about the perils of the Chesapeake Bay. The piece
is mobile, since the School of Fish is mounted on the back of a bike.

M:
Where can people contact you to perform?

VP: causecompany@gmail.com or
valeskapopuloh@yahoo.com

M:
Where do you see the future of Puppet Slams?

VP: More slams in more cities so that it is
easier for people to tour from one site to another. We still need to get better
at coordinating our dates with other slam sites, though! This can be tough,
since many slams are organized by a volunteer crew of folks with other jobs.
The Puppet Slam Network really
helps us get a bigger picture of what is happening along the East Coast in the
coming few months!
What advice do you have for Puppet Slam Artists who are just starting out?VP: Go watch a lot of performers. See what makes people laugh and respond. See
what works and what doesn't. Don't be discouraged if your first performances
flop or have flaws. Keep performing and making more work and seeing more work
and talking to other performers in order to learn and grow!

Beau has been involved in
Puppet Slams for the past decade. The Puckin’
Fuppet Show is one of PSN's more prolific slams, clocking in at eight slams per year. Recently, Beau curated the
very first National Puppet Slam, showcasing some of the best Slam pieces from
the PSN, at the National Puppetry Festival. The next National
Slam will be August 3rd – 5th , 2012 at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

Beau
Brown: My first puppet slam piece was when I fresh out of college and had just
moved back to atlanta from Dallas
in 2002. It was at the Puppet Slam at Dad’sGarage Theatre. It was called Beef
and it was about a small army of steaks liberating some other steaks from a
cow.

M: Sounds like a serious political piece... And what are some other Puppet Slams you have performed at?

BB:
We do some many slams here in Atlanta. I
have no idea how many I have done now. I have performed in Slams in Atlanta,
Asheville, New York City, and New Jersey. I have had some of my videos and
films screen in other cities. I suppose New York City is the furthest I have
physically gone. I think the most rewarding was the first National Slam at the
Puppet Festival last year. I have received such great feedback from both other
puppeteers being inspired to start their own slams back in their cities because
of it, and from the older generation of puppeteers who had never really
understood what Puppet Slams were about, thinking it was just a bunch of
cussing puppets with no real artistic merit. I think they got a better
understanding of the short form puppetry format and that Slams aren’t just
“Potpourris.”Just being able to bring together some of the most talented
puppeteers out there and get them all on stage together was a real honor.

M: Where did you get the idea to host Puppet Slams?

BB:
Lucky Yates at Dad’s Garage Theatre in Atlanta started one of the oldest slams
in the country [after Great Small Work's Spaghetti Dinners - running since 1985]. That and another show at that theatre called Late Night Creepy Horror, which was more
of a variety show that was heavy on puppets.
I had never had any real formal puppetry training and sort of cut my
chops at his shows for many years. It was a really supportive fun environment
that focused more on comedy rather than “high puppet art.” That slam was four times
a year and it really gave me a deadline and a reason to write shows.

It
was at the slam that I created the piece that would later become my web series The Sci-Fi Janitors. About three years
ago, Caroline Masclet started The Puckin’
Fuppet Show, which was a competitive slam with cash prizes. After a few shows she moved to France and
asked if anyone wanted to take over and keep the show going. I volunteered. At first I didn’t host the show. I just organized it and had local actors,
puppeteers, and stand up comics host it. It was after hosting at the National Festival,
where I had such a good time that I started hosting my own slam. The Slam at Dad’s Garage was a sort of best of
Atlanta’s puppeteers getting together to put on a show. The Puckin’ Fuppet Show is much more like a
loose open mic amateur hour type event where new people are encouraged to give
it a shot. Like I say at the show, “Atlanta has a lot of really incredible
puppet art, this isn’t it” I usually have no idea what the show is even
going to look like until about an hour before it starts and everybody who is
going to perform has shown up. Which is really stressful and nerve wracking but
I just try and remind myself that it always works out.

M: When do Puppet Slams go wrong?

BB:
I have been at some slams that have done a great job of pushing the envelope
only to have been criticized for it. The idea of censoring a puppet slam goes
against every bone in my body. No one ever got sued for doing a puppet show.
That is a really unhealthy and unsupportive artistic environment and not what
the Slam Network grant is for at all. I am very fortunate to be my own boss
with my Slam and I don’t have to answer to anyone else with it. Some other
slams are tied up in the politics of their local puppet community and don’t
have the kind of freedom.

M: Tell us about a
fabulous failure and what you've learned from it.

BB:
Never try and simulate the sound of someone’s pelvis cracking by breaking celery
into a microphone. It won’t work.

M: The more you know! Now why are
Puppet Slams important to you? What gap do they fill that is not filled by
other forms of puppetry?

BB: I feel like Slams fill a several important roles. It is great way to
get your feet wet in the art form [of puppetry]. Other than doing full-length kid shows or
doing videos online, there isn’t really another way to get started. It is a way to try things out in front of
audience and see what sticks. For me it
was crucial to have a deadline. I would love to be the kind of artist who is
inspired to build puppets and write shows because it just came to me, but I’m
not. I have to sit down, usually with
someone else and say, “Okay we need a
show.” The structure of the slams
gives me the kick in the pants and I need to write something. Since puppetry is the synthesis of all art
forms (visual art, voice, and movement), it opens so many doors to so many
different kinds of artists. Puppetry
allows us to tell any story we can imagine… ANY. The possibilities are truly
endless. The only other art form that I think allows that is animation. I would love to have the patience to do
animation, but I don’t. So puppetry
allows me to tell those stories. However most of those stories aren’t an hour
long. So how else can I get them front
of a live audience? Puppet Slam.

M: Do you have any upcoming slams you plan on performing at or organizing?

BB: The 2012 National Puppet Slam is coming up
August 3rd, 4th, and 5th at the Center for Puppetry Arts. All of the slams in the network will be nominating their best pieces. The Puckin’
Fuppet Show will continue to chug along with its eight or so slams per
year. I plan on performing in the new Spork in Hand
Puppet Slam in Columbia, SC, and I am going
to try and make to the Wham Bam Puppet Slam in Asheville NC. Then there is the Puppetry Track at DragonCon, which is a beast unto itself. It will be like a mini puppet festival
inside a 50,000-person convention. I am really excited about that.

M: Where do you find the impetus to do a Puppet Slam piece?

BB: A deadline, a song, a
pun, a visual gag, half-awake/half-asleep thoughts, wanting to experiment with
a new style.

M: Which Puppet Slam artists inspire
you?

I
really love Madison J. Cripps - we
have a bromance. His process is so completely different than mine. He makes a
puppet first and then writes the show around the character and I start with the
story first and make the puppets from that. I think I would really like to try start from
a character place first. I would also
like to try my hand at marionettes, which I have never done. I really love Honey Goodenough’s work. I would love to get some tears out of the
audience sometime. Dr. Gregg vanLanningham is an incredibly witty dialogue writer. I would love to write with
him sometime.

M: What pieces do you have in
circulation to perform in puppet slams?

BB:
The Moon is about the real transmissions
from NASA’s first touch down on the moon. In Doris and the Orifices, Doris and her a cappella band cover Don’t
Stop Believin. In A Man and his Gay
Horse, a cowboy helps his faithful horse understand himself and they both
learn about friendship.

M: I’ve seen that! It’s very Broke-back-I’m-not-sure-what…
Anywho, what are you looking forward to?

BB:
As a performer I really like traveling and performing at other slams and would
like to do more of that. As a producer I really look forward to discovering new
talent out there and giving artists opportunities to perform and get
recognition.

M: Where would you like to
see the Puppet Slam Network in the near future?
BB: I would really love to see the tour show idea come together,
but I can see why it is hard to get together. I defiantly want to continue with
the National Puppet Slam. I think it
is really awesome and important for the best of the Puppet Slam Network to
get recognized and to put all of those people together in the same room.

M: What advice do you have for puppet slam
performers just starting out?BB: DO IT! Start a slam! Crash an
open mic night with your puppets! Make videos! Keep throwing stuff at the wall
till it sticks! Something will and it will be awesome!

Beau has a degree in
Theatrical Design and works at the Center for Puppetry Arts. He has a taste for
Buffalo wings, He-man, and comics. His dislikes include: throw pillows,
listening to people chewing, and people using his birthday as an excuse to eat
cake.

As a puppet filmmaker,
Beau created the web series, The Sci-Fi Janitors and also collaborates
with The New Puppet Order, which produces puppet shorts seen at several film festivals. Beau’s Puppet Slam at the
DragonCon convention in Atlanta was such a success that the convention asked
him to program the Puppetry Track, a full range of puppetry events including a
slam at the 2012 convention. Stay tuned for details!

Monday, February 13, 2012

In our latest profile of Puppet Slam
Artists, PSN chats it up with Valerie Meiss, curator of the Wham Bam! PuppetSlam in Asheville. When not hosting Puppet Slams, Valerie tours the country
with a band of musicians and puppet shows. Valerie plays
accordion and novelty instruments such as the saw, ukulele, or toy piano. She
lives and works in her studio known as “The Vaudeville House” in downtown
Asheville.

Valerie Meiss: I've been performing in puppet slams for a little
over two years. My first slam experience was one I was not puppeteering in, my
band was asked to perform our strange puppet musical stage show, The Hellblinki and Cripps Puppet Spectacular
(with Madison J. Cripps of Cripps' Puppets), for the South Eastern Puppetry
Festival in Wilmington, NC. It was my first exposure to the Puppeteers of
America, The Puppet Slam Network, UNIMA, and nearly every professional
puppeteer I know. There, Madison and I took full advantage of our complementary
puppet festival badges and became immersed in the festival. The rest of my band,
I do believe, went to the beach. At the regional festival, we met Beau Brown,
who became not only a fast friend, but also our biggest supporter and colleague
in putting on puppet slams - which we would be doing in the near future.

M: In all the slams you have performed
at, what was the freakiest show you have seen?

VM: I've performed or been
involved with five or so puppet slams, mostly in the Asheville area, and
Atlanta. The freakiest show I've ever seen would probably have been Keith
Shubert's “Chair” piece. It was in
the 2011 Wham, Bam! Puppet Slam, it
was 4 seconds long, and consisted of: Returning from Intermission. A scream.
Lights up. Keith, still screaming is naked, strapped to chair, and a puppet,
that is where his unmentionables ought to be, is waving around a collapsible
lock blade knife. Lights out. It was sensational, and caused some controversy,
but the audience loved it! And it served its purpose beautifully.

M: What was the worst puppet slam you’ve
been to?

VM: I have been lucky to
have not been in any disastrous puppet slams. Though the worst slam I've been at
was probably a couple years ago, it was a fine slam with many wonderful pieces,
but it was too long, and the audience seemed to have been misinformed that it
was an adult show with adult content. We discovered later that many of them had
come to see a specific piece and didn't understand the nature of the show as a
whole. This was a fantastic learning opportunity and now I feel when promoting
a slam, nearly half of my publicity is putting out a disclaimer.

M: What is the Wham Bam! Puppet Slam
like?

VM: I am one of the coordinators,
along with Madison J. Cripps and Keith Shubert (Toy Box Theatre). Wham, Bam! is
not so much unique as it is ours. It's in Asheville, a thriving arts community
that needed it, and has embraced us. We are trying out various formats for the
slam as well, we've done fancy multiple show runs with it, but on National Day
of Puppetry, we'll be trying to do a one-off quick and dirty, low tech show, to
see if we can involve more people in Asheville who are not professional
puppeteers, per say.

M: Are you part of a slam circuit of
nearby cities to perform at?

VM: The closest city that has a regular slam is
Atlanta's Puckin' Fuppet Show, and we're about to be a part of the first puppet
slam in Columbia, SC, Spork in HandPuppet Slam. I feel more and more a part of the Puppet Slam network since
the first National Puppet Slam at
last year's Puppet Festival in Atlanta, also the Slam Symposium workshop let
slam coordinators, participants, and potential colleagues meet and share ideas,
strategies, and just network and make new friends.

M: What was it like hosting your first
Puppet Slam?

VM: The first slam I was a major driving force in was
last year's Wham, Bam! Puppet Slam. It was thrilling, challenging, fun,
teetering on the edge of chaos, but just coming round to be a spectacular show.
I loved it, I learned from it, and I am ready to do it over and over again.

M: Tell us about a fabulous failure and
what you've learned from it.

VM: Oh wow... maybe my reluctance to say means that
the wound is still fresh? . . Lets just say, technical requirements and
Murphy's Law make wretched bedfellows. I have learned to cope with technical
disasters in fun and friendly ways, to curb egos in a non-defamatory manner,
and to (most importantly) take control of a situation (which is easier said
than done), but I have certainly learned its importance.

Oh, also, don't ever ever
use a smoke machine!

M: Why are Puppet Slams important? What gap do they fill? Who
cares?

VM: Well I care, for
one. I like to laugh at jokes that are on a more adult level of humor, whether
it's bawdy, or sophisticated, it's still not for kids. Also I can't write a 45-minute
puppet show to save my life, yet. But I can make vignette scenes that are beautiful,
touching, funny, creepy, whatever. Short form puppetry happens to be my
favorite sort.

M: Are you hosting any upcoming slams?

VM: On April 28th,
The Wham Bam! Puppet Slam presents The
National Day of Puppetry: Quick & Dirty Puppet Slam! It's a lengthy
title, but there was so much information to get out.

M: What inspires you to create a puppet
slam piece?VM: beauty, chaos, unfinished
stories in my head, songs, friends of mine, relationships, odd facts I recall
from history class... anything and everything!

M: What other Puppet Slam artists are you are
inspired by?

VM: Lyon Hill did a piece for us last year called Supine. It was very technical, but
worked fluidly and an audience member even said, that it was “worth the price of admission.. The rest was
icing on the cake”, I am all right with being icing on that cake. It was
like live animation, paper puppets painted in watercolor, filmed and
simultaneously projected onto a screen, it was stunningly beautiful. I work
with watercolor and paper puppets, but not like this, it was inspiring and I am
trying to think of ways to learn from it.

M: What pieces do you have in
circulation to perform in puppet slams?VM:Thirty Centimetres, is about a controversial preserved penis in a
Russian museum. It is rumored to belong to Gregori Rasputin. It was an odd bit
of trivia that I've known about since grade school, so I made a puppet show out
of it. Finding a small pink party favor novelty penis at a thrift store didn't
hurt either.

Doom & Gloom is about the end of the world, it's a self-contained
suitcase show, where Madison J. Cripps and I try to sell “Doom and Gloom”
insurance. It was inspired by a song we made up walking down the street about
zombies and other doomy gloomy things.

I'm Just a Fish (and nobody loves me)is a cute bit about a
fish (a head puppet) that is looking for love. It is the most pathetic song I
could write about fish and play on the ukulele. It was supposed to just be a
short distraction piece (so puppet shows could set up or tear down behind me)
but it has developed a life of its own.

M: Where would you like to see the Puppet Slam
Network in the future?

VM: I would love to see
a puppet slam tour, it would be a feat to find time when enough people were
available to do it, but a week or so touring up a coast or the Midwest, or
somewhere, putting on puppet shows and maybe workshopping in cities to help
them start puppet slams would be a really lovely endeavor.

I also like the idea of encouraging slams to get video projectors and screens
and have a system where slams can show other slam's work, either as filler, if
it's needed, or to show some brilliant show that just happened in Seattle to
the fine folks of Asheville, because how else will they get to see it?

M: What advice do you have for up and
coming slam artists who are just starting out?

VM: Do it! Do it now!
And promote it, and promote it as an adult show, so you don't have to deal with
upset people. (It shouldn't be a big deal, but sometimes it is.) And have fun
with it! And send me an email if you
have questions, I feel like I'm able to help out sometimes! And I've asked a
bunch of questions myself, so I know whom to recommend.

M: One last question, what’s the story with your
photo?!?

VM:Its a still
from street performing with Thomas Butler as a can of Beef Ravioli, and Madison
J. Cripps in his Walking Theatre Project - a day in the life.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

CaroleD’Agostino is a seasoned Puppet Slam Artist, who has performed at over 50
puppet slams in 20 venues since 1999 and has worked in various forms of
puppetry since 1986. Join PSN as we talk to her about hoarding, puppets and her life on the small stage...

photo by
Bill Wadman

Marsian: How long have you been performing at Puppet Slams? What was your very
first slam experience? Were you under duress? What kind of piece did you
perform?

Carole: I have been performing in slams
since 1997. My first slam experience was in Boston at an event called Pan9
hosted by Evan O'Television. It was
a cabaret type night and I was called up as a volunteer from the audience to do
an object theater improv scene with a woman named Kristen. I suppose some might
call it “duress” but I thought it looked like fun! I was fresh out of college.

Someone in
the audience that night thought I was funny and asked if I had other stuff. I
did- I had a marionette. They asked if I'd do an event at MIT called MITERs, an
open mic type event. I ended up hosting that for 2 years doing Object Theater
Time and whatever new experiments I had been developing.

C: As of 2012,
I have been in over 56 puppet slams in at least 20 venues.

M:
Damn! Thats a lot! So what was the most exotic puppet slam you have performed
at?

C: The greatest
distance I've traveled for a slam is 600 miles. I used to go from Boston to NY
for shows all the time. Now I live in NJ and going to Atlanta or Chicago is not
out of the question. Portland, OR is far, but I've sent them videos instead.
I'd love to be there in person.

M: Tell us about some memorable
experiences at puppet slams or cabarets? What is the funniest, freakiest,
edgiest, or weirdest show you have seen?

C: I will say it's not fair to judge
“freaks” at these events. The whole point is freaky, I suppose. I am usually
the most “conservative” type at these things. Marsian- YOU are probably the
weirdest performer I've worked with. Let's be honest. But that's why we love
you.

M:
This is about you, not me!

C: But I have performed in spaces where
I had to climb down ladders to get to the dressing room, hide in dank basements,
wait literally OUTSIDE to be off stage, I've had to clean banana and wood chips
off my velvet covered table from the previous act before I could perform. I
have stood on my own tables as a platform because people need to see
marionettes off the floor and there was no platform. Risky? Sure.

But you
know- the show must go on and I survived all of it. The audience doesn't care
what you have to do to make the show happen - they just want to see puppets.

M:
What was the worst puppet slam you performed at?

C: My own personal worst was 12 years
ago at a venue in NYC that is now closed. I had a shadow puppet piece that used
a clip lamp as the light source - I usually clipped it to a table. The venue
had CUBES (not tables), so I clipped it to my pants. It popped off mid-sketch
and I fumbled to make it through. I had a savior who helped me and we finished.
Interestingly- mine was not the worst thing to be seen that night.

M:
I noticed you have developed short puppet slam pieces into full-length shows..

C: Actually,
yes! My newest show The Hoarding Show has 3 acts, each one appropriate lengths for
Puppet Slams. I did this so I could travel and promote the show as well as
develop it incrementally. It worked out well. I have 4 shows out of it- 3
sections and the whole. It's better as an evening but I don't want to miss an
opportunity. Flexibility is key.

M:
Tell us about a fabulous failure and what you've learned from it!

C: I succeed and fail at each event. I
now always travel with my own tables, tape, extension cords, light bulb
replacements, shadow screen replacements, scissors, sharpies, wipes, etc etc
etc, because at each and every venue there has been something wrong or missing
and I don't want my performance to suffer because the venue or I am ill
prepared. Professionalism can only come by learning from failures.

photo: Bruce from Puppet Co Playhouse

M:
Why do you think Puppet Slams are important? What gap are they filling that is
not filled by other forms of puppetry? Who cares?

C: Who cares is
an excellent question. I'll tell you- Puppet Slams are the new Vaudeville. I
think young people who can be labeled “hipsters” love the new puppet world. I
think older folks who always loved theater can enjoy a slam. I think yes- the
slam IS important but what needs to be emphasized is that yes- there is a
scrappy nature to the show but there MUST be some attempt on the part of the
performers to grow, rehearse, develop, refine. It can't always be scrappy- or
the audience will turn away.

M: What inspires you to create a puppet slam piece?

C: Different things. One of the most
common questions I get is “What style do
you work in?” This depends on the story I need to tell. I have a peacock
marionette that was inspired by a trip to a sculpture garden. My shadow show
about science was developed at the Puppet Playlist, so music inspired that one.
My old show about Icarus was inspired by my father's death. It's all life
based, like anything. I won't just throw a piece together for nothing though.
All of my shows are storyboarded, well rehearsed and have something valuable to
offer the audience.

M:
Who you are inspired by on the Puppet Slam circuit?

C: I admire
people who come prepared, rehearsed and behave professionally. I like shows
that tell some story and are not just pretty floating objects treated as
precious babies. Every slam has one person who I can learn from by positive or
negative example.

My work is
inspired by people not in the slam circuit, actually: Paul Zaloom, Phillip
Huber, Rick Lyon - these guys know how to research, prepare and put on a
quality show.

M: What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams?

C:She Blinded Me With
Science is a table-top
shadow piece to the song of the same title that is both funny and creepy. Flirty
Birdie is a fun and sassy cabaret-style piece
featuring a peacock marionette. ShapeShifter is an unusual Baird
style table-top abstract puppet, also inspired by Buckminster Fuller. Object
Theater Time! Is an improv act, where I get random objects from the
audience and whip up comedy! My latest
piece, The Hoarding Showisa 3-part comedy with table top, shadows and object theater- all about
hoarding! You'll laugh, cry and then go
home and clean!

My shows are
for general audiences- they can work for most ages though I suggest teens and
up because they are not geared specifically for kids. All pieces are less
than 10 minutes. The Hoarding Show has three 10-minute acts.

C: That's a hard question because the
puppet community is evolving so fast. I'd like the PSN to be a source for
bookings, idea sharing, tours, and financing. I guess that's what it is now.
So- great job! I do think Slams should be a better source of income. If the PSN
could provide funding to individuals as well as hosts, then the cost
of travel and performances would be more effectively off-set.

M:
What advice do you have for slam performers who are just starting out?

C: Go see
shows, take notes. Make your own shows and rehearse the heck out of them. When
you travel, bring your own tape and extension cords. You have something to
learn from everyone- and it's a good idea to be aware. Also, save all your
receipts- these events are tax write-offs. This is your career!

M: Anything else we should know?

C: I teach
workshops on scale model making and can also custom gear a puppet workshop for
your needs. Yes, I travel. No, I won't do it for free. You won't be
disappointed. I value my work and will give you my very best every time.

Carole has performed on television in shows like SeeMore's
Playhouse and has fabricated puppets and costumes for Broadway shows like Avenue
Q and Shrek! The Musical. Recently, Carole was a puppeteer in John
Tartaglia's ImaginOcean Off Broadway. Carole can be seen on the web in The
Weekly Daily News, a puppet news parody show, on TheDaily.com. Her work has
been seen on Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, PBS, IFC, Noggin and MTV2.